Youth Friendly Health Services were established in Moldova by the Government, in partnership with UNICEF. The initiative engaged more than 45,000 young people in the promotion of Agenda 2030 and volunteerism, while also giving them a chance to become more aware of healthcare and their wellbeing. Vulnerable groups like those who suffer from drug addiction or commercial sex also had the opportunity to take an HIV test, visit doctors and consult psychologists confidentially

Through the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Child Development and its network, the initiative aims to mobilise, train and deploy 2500 community youth volunteers across the country, selected from some of the most affected communities in the country. They will support ongoing sensitization efforts by the Zambian Government, the United Nations, Development partners and other key stakeholders to help control the spread of the virus.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) does not discriminate by race, gender, geography, income, age or sex. Regardless of who you are, the type of job you have, or the lifestyle you lead, COVID-19 has shaken societies around the world and upended lives and livelihoods. It has forced governments to respond rapidly and develop response and recovery plans.

 In times of emergency, the demand for information is exceedingly high. Providing people with the right and relevant information they need to stay safe is part of the mission of Mamadou. He coordinates the U-Report and Rapid pro platforms of UNICEF. These are mobile empowerment programmes with more than 10,000 users that connect young people, community members and frontline workers to information that will influence decisions.

UN Volunteers are supporting a WHO project for Health Security in Turkey, which aims to improve services and the capacity of laboratories, and another for the Social Inclusion of Persons with Mental Disabilities. These projects have changed dramatically due to the outbreak.

The Cities Project, or project for South-South and Triangular Cooperation among Maritime-Continental Silk Road Cities for Sustainable Development, was initiated by UNOSSC in 2017. It promotes South-South and triangular cooperation at the city level, taking advantage of the strategic opportunities offered by the Belt and Road Initiative in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  

This cohort will consist of five national UN Volunteer Specialists from Burkina Faso, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal and two international UN Volunteer Experts working from Dakar, Senegal, and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  State of the World Population: Harmful Practices (Interactive Website)

The COVID-19 Response Programme was developed by the UN Joint Devolution Programme after development partners Finland, Italy and Sweden consented to remobilizing USD 3.1 million to respond to the pandemic in Kenya.

These are just examples of why gender equality matters in the context of COVID-19, emphasizing the need to ensure the world’s response to the pandemic is gender-sensitive.